Time-controlled electric firing-machine.



H. L. & H. D. BEVANS.

TIME CONTROLLED ELECTRIC FIRING MACHINE.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 13, 1910.

1,007,177, Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

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WITNESSES snrrnn s'rarss HARRY L. BnvAns AND Parana cr mes.

HUGH D. BEVANS, OF MULBERRY, KANSAS.

TIME-CONTROLLED ELECTRIC FIRING-MACHINE.

To aE whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRYL. BEVANS and HUGH D. BEVANS, citizens of the United States, residing at Mulberry, in the county of Crawford and State ofKansas, have incially adapted for use in mines.

The object of the invention is-to provide a machine that will operate automaticallyin .such a manner as to close a firing circuit at a predetermined time after the machine has been placed in operation; and a further object is to rovide a machine of this characterthat is adapted to be initially actuated, or started, by means of the control, of an electric circuit by another and similar machine. That is to say, in practicing our invention we employ as many machines as there are blasts to be fired, but all of the machines are operated through one two-wire circuit and their operation is automatic after the first machine has been started.

A further object is to provide an automatic electric slgnal whereby the operator is' kept informed of the sequence of the blasts and of the operation, or non-operation ofthe apparatus.

The invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which igure 1 is a plan view'of one of the timecontrolled firing machines, in combination with a .circuit diagram for a plurality of blasts, the current source, etc. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on line H-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a switchblade, employed in carrying out the invention.

As a preliminary to the description of the machine itself, we shall briefly describe the electric circuit as shown in Fig. 1, wherein 1 designates a power house, in which is located a dynamo 2, or other source of current from which insulated conductors 3, 4 and 5 lead to a mine 6, in which are several chambers,

a, Z), c, d, e, f, 9, connected by tunnels or shafts 7c. W'lthin the respective chambers are placed ordinary electric caps, h, h,

Specification of Letters Patent. Applicationfiled May 13, 1910.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911. Serial No. 561,241.

h', h"', etc, connected with the circuit wires 3, 5, by tap wires 7 It is understood that each cap it, etc., is embedded in a charge of explosive in any well-known manner. The symbols M, M, etc., each indi-- cate one of our machines, which are connected to the circuit wires as more clearly shown in the detail portion of the figure. In the power house 1, in series with one of the wires 3, 4, is a signal'lamp, 8, and 9 is a manually-controlled switch which is in series with one of said wires. Upon closing the switch, a circuit is closed through the nearest machine, which is shown in detail: starting the mechanism, which after a predetermined time sends current through blast it and machine M, which, after a predetermined time, sends current through machine M, blast it, and machine M" simultaneously with the firing of a blast,

the machine which controls the firing of the next blast is started into operation, but causes-a time interval to intervene between any two blasts. Where it is desired to greatly increase this interval with respect to a particular chamber, a. plurality of the machines are connected as are those marked M" and M""; the effect of which will ,bethat the blast h in chamber d willbe fired considerably later than the blast it in chamber 6. x a

Now, describing the machine, the same comprises a suitable base 12, on which are mounted a train of gears, a weight for actuating them, a ratchet for restraining and releasing the gears, and a knife switch-adapted to beactuated by movement of the' gears. The several shafts 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 of the gear train are journaled in cheeks 18 which are mounted on the base 12.

16 is the main or driving shaft, on which are a loose gear 19, a fixed pinion 20, and a winding crank 21; also a fixed ratchetwheel 22. Fixed to and wound upon this shaft is a cord 23 to which is suspended a suitable weight 24. Gear-wheel 19 meshes with a pinion 25 fixed-on shaft 15, on which is fixed a gear 26, meshing with a pinion 27 fixed on shaft 14, on which is fixed a gear 28 which drives a pinion 29, fixed on shaft 13. On the latter is a governor, consisting as shown of several wings or fans 30. The

Thus

driving pinion 2O meshes with a gear31, fixed on shaft 17. The gear wheel 19 carries a stud 32, on which is pivoted a pawl 33 -Fixed upon shaft .17 is a switch blade 39,

to which the wire 4 is connected in any suitable way. When the lug 34 is in the position shown, this blade 39 lies between a pair of switch contacts 40, which are both connected to a wire 41 which extends to one terminal ofthe magnet 38. Fixed on the base 12 in position to receive the blade 39 after a partial revolution thereof, is a second 'pair of switch contacts 42, which are connected to a circuit wire 5 that leads to a switch blade 39 on the nearest machine M.

v The other terminal. ofthe magnet 38 is conshaft.

The operation is as follows; assuming that being now =nected to"cifrcuit wire 3 by a tap 43. The .switch blade 39 is insulated from the. shaft 17 by a bushing 44, which is preferably square and fits m a square opening in the bladeanduponthe squared end 17 of the several machines are located as shown in the draw n and the manual switch 9 is open: The weight 24 of each machine is wound up by rotating thev crank 21, the; switch blade etween the switch points 40. The Wei hts 24 tend to drive the. switch shaft-s 17 in t e directionindicated byarrow, but such movement is prevented by. the triggers 35, as the main switch 9 is open and hence the armatures 37 are unattracted by the magnets 38. The circuit through the first blast cap it is now open, as the switch, blade39 is out of contact with parts 42. Likewise there is no current through any of the caps, h,'lzi jj h etc; When all is ready for fiiin the blast it, the operator closes .the "swit h 9, and current flows through the magnet 38 which draws down armature 37 and raises trigger 35, which releases lug34, whereupon the weight 24 and cord .23 rotate shaft 16 and all the gears, which are caused to move slowly by the governor 30. Ratchet 22 drives pawl 33, ear 19, pinion 20, gear 31, and shaft 17, which slowly moves the blade 39 from points 40 toward points 42, breaking only the magnetcircuit, which is immaterial as'the lug 34 has passed beneath the trigger 35. As soon as blade 39 forms contact with points 42, current will pass from wire 4 to-wire 5, thence through the electric cap it, thence back to the generator through wire- 3, thereby firing the first blast. At'the same time, current will pass through the magnet of machine M, which will operate precisely'as above described, and will there- .will be lighted; and when such blade breaks such contact, said lamp will be extinguished. By watching the lamp, therefore, the operator is advised of the time when each of ,the machines breaks the magnet circuit. It is also clear that the lamp will be relighted upon the restablishment of its circuit by the closure of a blade 39 with its points 42, and therefore, if any machine fails to establish such connection, the lamp would remain dark beyond the proper interval, and thus advise the operator of the trouble. The exact machine at fault may be located with certainty by the operators keeping track of the successive firings, either by tally marks or by inserting pegs in holes in a convenient plate. When the machine M closes a circuit through the ca s h and h"", both of said caps will 0 course be fired simultaneously. In like manner, when the machine M in the branch tunnel closes its circuit, the caps k and h'" will be simultaneously red. Buhwhenever it is desirable to delay the firing of any cap or caps, a machine is conr :ted to the wires between suo'll caps and; to cu rrent source." '1

It sometimes happens that the firing of a blast in a mine causes an explosion of gas. If the operator hears such an explosion, he opens the switch 9, thereby preventing any other machine from being started.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as novel and desire to secure by .Hetters Patent, is:

In combination, a sourceof current, a fir1ng-c1rcu1t connected by one wire directly to the current source, two time controlled firing mechanisms each provided with an automatic switch and with a starting magnet, each of said magnets being connected with said wire; connections through the automatic switch of one mechanism through,

the starting magnet of the other mechanism, a connection between the opposite pole of the current source and the automatic switch of one of said mechanisms, and a return wire of the firing circuit, connected to the other said mechanism.

2. In combination, a source of current, two time controlled firing mechanisms, each comprising a switch and a starting magnet, a firing circuit, connections between the current source, the mechanisms and the firin In' testimony whereof we aifix our signacircuit, whereby one gf'the mechanisms wil tures, in the presence of two witnesses.

be started by the ot er mechanism after a predetermined interval fromthe starting of HARRY BEVANS 5 the other mechanism; and a signal lump in U H BEVANS' circuit with said current source, the mecha- Witnesses: nisms and firing circuit, for the purpose de- W. H. MILLER,

scribed. J. C. HARRIS. 

